by L. C. Davis
His siren's song triggered what was left of my consciousness and renewed my ability to fight. I tore my gaze away from the watch, but it was like ripping burnt flesh off a searing pipe.
Victor met my furious gaze with a patient one of his own. “I have to say, in all my years of doing this, I've never faced such obstinacy from such a gentle soul. It's no wonder we were both drawn to you so strongly.”
I wanted to scream, but his trance wasn't fully broken. I couldn't quite work up the anger or the resolve to resist physically beyond looking away. Even that was a struggle.
He leaned forward and his eyes locked on mine, the intensity of his gaze amplified a thousandfold. Just like that, I was transfixed even more strongly than before. “As I said, your body is starting to relax and with it your mind. You feel a warm, tingling sensation that starts in the very center of your chest and works its way outwards. It spreads into your throat and the middle of your stomach,” he murmured.
His every word came true like prophecy being fulfilled. The physical sensation was impossible to deny or ignore. It was too delightful to try. “The warmth emanates further up and down and out, expanding from its core. It flares in the center of your forehead just between your eyes and crowns at the top of your head. It flows down through your torso, tendrils curling out through your arms and legs until the warmth reaches the tips of your fingers and toes. You're consumed by warm, radiant light and there is no room for pain or fear or resistance. Do you understand?”
I nodded weakly and he slipped the gag from my mouth. I couldn't stop staring at him. The very existence of my universe seemed to hang on his every word.
“Listen to me carefully,” he said, crouched in front of me. “Except for that first ritual, Sebastian and I never visited you in your dreams as a child. Even that is just a vague and distant memory. You met us both at the Lodge the night of the contest and remembered nothing.”
As he spoke, I could feel the memories being stripped away from me. It was agonizing, but I no longer had the will to resist. My tears were the only sign of my distress and soon enough they were baffling even to me.
“You were marked by us both at the same time. None of us understand how it happened, but your father has allowed us to court you. Whoever you truly love will become alpha, as determined by the mark that becomes predominant.”
He paused, taking a deep breath. For a moment he seemed to falter, but the moment passed quickly. “You have no memory of our relationship, nor your failed relationship with my brother. You are no more obligated to me than you are to Sebastian and you owe me no fidelity. Our relationship as master and submissive is not one of physical intimacy but of clinical productivity and it does not extend beyond the dungeon. I work with you to help you through your psychological trauma in the same capacity as I work with Foster. You won't remember any of your romantic encounters with either Sebastian or myself. As far as you're concerned, it's a blank slate from this moment on and your heart alone will decide the outcome.”
He reached out and wiped away my tears before leaning in to press his lips against my forehead. The kiss was as tender as it was cruel and I felt him siphoning the last of my allegiance and memories through it. By the time he was done, my entire body went limp and he had to hold me up.
Victor uncuffed my hands and slipped the scarf back into his pocket to hide the evidence of his betrayal. “You're going to fall asleep for a little while,” he murmured. “By the time you wake up, everything will be fine. Everything will be okay.”
My head dropped to my chest, too heavy to keep upright any longer. I summoned the last shreds of my free will to scoff at his words. Victor could say all the magic words that he wanted. Nothing would ever be okay again.
24
A knock at the door jolted me awake from the most delightful nap. Despite the dull throbbing in my head, I woke feeling more refreshed and alive than I had in recent memory. “Be right there,” I called, yawning as I sat up. My head spun a bit once I got to my feet, but it wasn't bad enough to make me stagger.
On my way to the door, I noticed something strange about my room. All my stuff was there, but it looked like half of the room had been cleared out. Before the thought could trouble me too much, I remembered that Victor had probably just come for the remainder of his old things. I did have his old room, after all. Strange that he wouldn't have mentioned it, though.
I shrugged it off and pulled the door open to find Sebastian waiting on the other side. At least, I thought it was Sebastian. The man before me had lightly slicked back hair, a stark contrast from his usual tousled brown locks. He wasn't wearing a suit or anything, but for Sebastian a gray button-down shirt, a blazer, dark slacks and oxford brogues were the equivalent.
“I'm sorry, sir, but the upstairs is for Lodge staff only,” I teased, leaning against the door frame.
He blinked in confusion. “Huh?”
“It's just that I'm supposed to be going out with my friend tonight and he looks a lot like you, but you're much too dapper to be Sebastian.”
He gave a half-amused snort. “Very funny.” He looked down at himself and grimaced. “If I look stupid it's because I made the mistake of letting Foster pick out my outfit. He said it's 'GQ,” whatever the hell that means.”
“It wasn't a mistake,” I assured him, yawning. “You look great. What time is it?”
He glanced at a watch that had probably been borrowed from someone else. “It's the letter 'V' and two 'I's', apparently.” He tapped the face of the watch. “I don't think this thing is working.”
I shook my head, stifling a giggle. “Sorry, I fell asleep and time kind of got away from me. Give me five minutes to get dressed?”
He gave my jeans and sweater a once over. “You're already dressed.”
I rolled my eyes. “Not to go out. I haven't been outside in months, I'm not gonna miss an opportunity to dress up. You can wait downstairs, I'll be right down.”
He looked doubtful as I shut the door, but I heard his footsteps disappear down the hall. I ran over to my closet, realizing that I was giddy for the first time since I could remember. And why not? My vampiric instincts were finally under control and I had a date with one of my best friends. A friend who happened to clean up pretty damn well.
Maybe it was time to adopt a new attitude about the whole arranged marriage deal. I may not have gotten to choose who marked me, but at least I got to choose between them. It was hardly a bad choice from any angle, even if it was a difficult one.
My closet failed to produce the perfect outfit immediately, so I decided to focus on putting one together that would be worth the wait. Finally, I settled on the leather jeans I'd worn the night I first came to the Lodge as well as a long-sleeved black T-shirt with an ink blot pattern on front. It looked good underneath my leather jacket, and the leather choker Victor had given me for my birthday covered the scars on my neck.
Granted, it looked more like a collar than a necklace and I was a bit suspicious about the letter “V” carved into the silver on the inside, but it would have to do.
After brushing my hair, I donned my favorite sneakers and ran down the stairs. Unfortunately, I also ran into Ulric in my haste. He caught me before I could fall headfirst down the stairs.
“Easy, boy!” he cried, steadying me. “I swear, I'd never even heard of an accident-prone vampire until I met you.”
“Half-vampire,” I reminded him happily. “Sorry, dad.”
He looked surprised but the bluster melted right off of him. “Yeah, well, just be careful. Where are you off to in such a hurry?” He gave me a disapproving once-over. “And where the hell are you going in that?”
I grinned. “Relax, Sebastian is taking me out. We live in a sex dungeon, how much trouble could I get into in town?”
“I suppose that's a fair point,” he muttered, still looking at me like I had three heads. “You're excited to go out with Sebastian?”
“Well, yeah. I've decided to adopt a new outlook and have a littl
e fun with the whole dating two guys thing.”
He frowned. “Is that so?”
“I'm gonna be stuck with one of them for the rest of my life,” I said with a sigh. “May as well make the most of it, right?”
He gave me a wary look. “Huh.”
“What?” I asked, frowning. “Aren't you the one who's been pushing this whole, 'explore your feelings for the good of the pack' agenda?”
“I wouldn't phrase it like that, but I'm glad you're taking it seriously—er, less seriously, I mean. What about Victor?”
“I'm going out with him tomorrow,” I said, leaning in to kiss his cheek. “Tonight, it's all about Sebastian. Stay out of trouble, you crazy kid,” I said, firing an imaginary bullet at him as I walked down the stairs.
He looked like he was about to say something but shook his head and stalked up the stairs with renewed purpose. I dismissed his behavior as just Ulric being Ulric and scanned the foyer. Sebastian was waiting at the base of the stairs, holding me in his awestruck gaze.
“You really know how to make a guy feel like he's in a movie,” I teased, pausing on the stairs.
He cleared his throat and looked away. He was cute when he was bashful. “Yeah, well, you look like a movie I'd have to pay for at a seedy hotel.”
“Those are the best kind,” I teased, hopping up onto the thick bannister.
“Hey, careful,” he said, taking a step forward. “You're not exactly coordinated.”
“Says everyone,” I muttered, giving in to impulse as I let go of the newly polished railing and slid down it.
“Hey!” Sebastian cried, lurching to grab me. He caught me just like I knew he would.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and laughed. “Sorry, couldn't resist. Movie moment.”
“What the hell got into you?” he demanded, looking me up and down.
“Nothing yet,” I purred, stroking his hair. It didn't have enough gel in it for that shiny look, but it still wasn't as soft and fun to tousle as usual. The clothes could stay, but the hair had to go. Then again, as good as he looked all dressed up, I missed the way his T-shirts clung to his chest and broad shoulders.
“I mean it, are you drunk or something?” he asked warily. “Or is this another weird wolf-in-heat thing?”
“Do you see a full moon in the sky?” I asked, slipping out of his arms. “I'm fine, I'm just ready to live a little. Or, you know, as much as a half-vampire can live.”
He looked doubtful but gave in when I took his hand and pulled him towards the door. “Now come on, I need my authorized guardian to get me out of this place before I go stir crazy.”
“You're not bound anymore,” he said, frowning as he opened the door. “Vic said Sarah undid your electric collar while she was in your head.”
“She did?” I frowned. The conversation was fuzzy, like a TV station that wasn't coming in all the way. “Oh. Must've forgotten. So, where are we headed to?”
“I thought I'd take you out to dinner, maybe a movie after,” he said, leading me towards the lot.
“Movie?” I wrinkled my nose. “How about we go dancing?”
“Dancing?” He laughed. “I'm a bouncer, not a clubber.”
“You can make an exception for one night, right?” I asked, giving him my best smile. “For me?”
He blinked and looked away again. His face was turning red. Being keenly attuned to his heartbeat, I noticed it pick up speed. “Yeah, okay. We'll figure it out after dinner,” he said, pulling up one of three garage doors on the side of the Lodge.
I glanced over at the lonely blue truck at the end of the lot. “What about old faithful?”
“Tonight's a special occasion,” he said, opening the passenger side door of a sleek blue sportscar nestled in the otherwise empty two-car garage. “I thought you might enjoy something a little faster.”
“Fast is good,” I said, caressing the hard lines of the car's body before I slipped inside the leather interior. He joined me a moment later as I was still fondling the leather dash.
“Glad you like it,” he laughed, starting up the engine. “Doesn't have the same spirit as the old girl, but it's a pretty sweet ride.”
“Are all the others out?” I asked, noting that the lot was almost empty.
“Most of them,” he said. “Clara and your dad are still around, as usual. Vic has been holed up in his office all day. Hunter and Clarence are still frolicking in the woods somewhere. Brendan was heading out with Maverick last I heard and uh, I think I saw Sarah with Jason.”
Anger started to broil inside me, but it couldn't take hold for some reason. “Oh, whatever,” I muttered. “As long as she's leaving dad alone.”
He glanced at me as he turned onto the road that led past campus. “That's a surprisingly zen attitude you got there.”
“I'm trying out a new approach to life,” I said, admiring the heavily forested path.
He shrugged. “Hey, I'm not complaining as long as you're okay.”
“I'm okay,” I said. For the first time in a long time, I meant it.
No one said a word for the rest of the ride. Sebastian took us into the city, or at least what passed for one in our little section of Washington. We came to a stop in front of what was probably the nicest restaurant the city had to offer and he got the door for me, offering his hand.
My hand warmed as soon as it slipped inside of his. It was hard to tell if it was because of the mark or simply because Sebastian put off heat like a furnace. “Thank you, good sir,” I teased.
He smirked. “It's a safety precaution as much as it is chivalry. I've seen you trip getting out of a car before.”
“The poise is probably the one thing I'll miss about being all vampire,” I admitted, holding his arm as we walked into the restaurant.
“I wouldn't say you were poised, just slightly less of a danger to yourself and others. Ironically.”
“You used it right that time,” I teased.
“The reservation is under Fulton,” Sebastian told the hostess. She scanned her book and smiled.
“Right this way, gentlemen.”
“This is so much better than Texas,” I murmured to him as she led us to a table in the back. I assumed it was no accident that we had the entire section to ourselves, but I wasn't complaining.
“How so?” he asked, waiting for me to sit down before he did. I had a feeling that if he could have pulled the booth out, he would have tried.
“People are just a lot more tolerant here.”
“Well, I don't think they know we're an interspecies couple.”
I rolled my eyes. “I'm talking about being gay.”
“Oh, that,” he laughed. “Sometimes I forget how people are about that until work takes me into the boonies.”
“Not that you'd have a problem wherever you went.”
“Nah,” he agreed. “Everyone just assumes I'm straight until proven otherwise. Vic had some problems in school until he grew into his big head, though.”
“Really?” I asked, sipping my water. It helped with the people cravings, however mild they were at the moment. “Was he bullied in school?”
“He would've been,” said Sebastian, glancing over the wine menu in bewilderment. “I just beat the shit out of anyone who tried.”
I smiled a little. “You two protected each other from everything, didn't you?”
“Not everything,” he said, clearly regretting the comment. “Any recommendations? I'm kind of out of my element where the fancy stuff is concerned.”
“Anything red,” I suggested, more interested in food at the moment. “Steak sounds really good.”
“Sounds like you've got your appetite back,” he said with a chuckle.
I blushed. “Yeah. Red meat especially. I'm sorry, it's probably a weird vampire thing.”
“Don't apologize,” he said. “And it's not a vampire thing, it's a wolf thing. It means you're getting closer to shifting. Your metabolism spikes in preparation for the first shift. Even Foster devel
oped a taste for raw meat and he's more of a bleeding heart than you are.”
I was about to ask him more when the waitress arrived. Sebastian ordered steaks for us, along with a bottle of wine and she left to go put in our order.
“Can you tell me more about the whole transformation thing?” I asked, hesitating when I saw how much the question took him off guard. “Some other time, I mean. I don't want to ruin the evening.”
“No, it's not that,” he said earnestly. “I'm just surprised you want to talk about it. I didn't wanna push it on you.”
“Well, nature is kind of doing that already,” I said, smiling. “It was silly of me to think that sticking my head in the sand would work. I'm ready to listen now.”
“Okay,” he said, leaning on the table. “What do you want to know?”
“I don't know, what other changes can I expect? Hunter says it's basically like going through puberty all over again.”
“It is similar. Your appetite increases. So does your sex drive, especially around the full moon,” he said, clearing his throat. “But that's probably something you should discuss with Victor, not me.”
I tilted my head, smiling. “Why? Sebastian, don't tell me you're shy...”
“Of course not,” he muttered. “I just didn't want to make you uncomfortable.”
“Well, that's very considerate of you,” I teased, “but I think I'm old enough to handle 'the talk.'”
He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, well, once you shift it doesn't get any better. Enjoy being horny as hell every full moon for the rest of your life.”
I bit my straw in an attempt not to giggle.
“What?” he asked, smirking.
“Nothing. Just a question that would make you uncomfortable if I asked it.”
“Hey, I'm an open book,” he said earnestly. “Ask away.”
“Well,” I said coyly, “I was just wondering if with all the wolves cooped up in the same house you guys ever, you know, get frisky with each other?”